Insights into left-right asymmetric development of chicken ovary at the single-cell level.

Avian ovaries develop asymmetrically apart from prey birds, with only the left ovary growing more towards functional organs. Here, we analyze over 135,000 cells from chick's left and right ovaries at six distinct embryonic developmental stages utilizing single-cell transcriptome sequencing. We delineate gene expression patterns across 15 cell types within these embryo ovaries, revealing side-specific development. The left ovaries exhibit cortex cells, zygotene germ cells, and transcriptional changes unique to the left side. Differential gene expression analysis further identifies specific markers and pathways active in these cell types, highlighting the asymmetry in ovarian development. A fine-scale analysis of the germ cell meiotic transcriptome reveals seven distinct clusters with gene expression patterns specific to various meiotic stages. The study also identifies signaling pathways and intercellular communications, particularly between pre-granulosa and germ cells. Spatial transcriptome analysis shows the asymmetry, demonstrating cortex cells exclusively in the left ovary, modulating neighboring cell types through putative secreted signaling molecules. Overall, this single-cell analysis provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of the asymmetric development of avian ovaries, particularly the significant role of cortex cells in the left ovary.

A Tumor-Activatable Liposomal Nanoprobe for Selective Visualization of Metastatic Lymph Nodes.

The precise identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) during surgery and assessment of their benign status is crucial for accurate tumor staging and optimal treatment strategizing. Currently, a deficiency exists in non-invasive in vivo diagnostic techniques that can accurately pinpoint SLNs during surgery while simultaneously evaluating their benign status. Here, a tumor-activatable liposomal nanoprobe (nTAL) is developed, remotely loaded with clinically approved photosensitizer, methyl aminolevulinate (MAL), to noninvasively visualize the tumor metastasis lymph nodes (LNs) with precision. Benefited from the highly efficient LNs draining of nanosized liposome and tumor cell-specific transformation of the non-fluorescent MAL to fluorescent protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), nTAL succeeded in targeting the SLNs and differentiated the metastatic from the benign ones with a positive correlation between PPIX generation and tumor cell infiltration in LNs. Moreover, the nTAL technology is capable of probing the early metastatic stage with a primary tumor size of 50 mm3. This study provides a new strategy for intraoperative visualization of real-time sentinel node dissection.

Effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on the microorganisms of expressed prostatic secretion in patients with IIIB prostatitis.

To detect and analyze the changes of microorganisms in expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) of patients with IIIB prostatitis before and after low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) treatment, and to explore the mechanism of LIPUS in the treatment of chronic prostatitis (CP). 25 patients (study power was estimated using a Dirichlet-multinomial approach and reached 96.5% at α = 0.05 using a sample size of 25) with IIIB prostatitis who were effective in LIPUS treatment were divided into two groups before and after LIPUS treatment. High throughput second-generation sequencing technique was used to detect and analyze the relative abundance of bacterial 16 s ribosomal variable regions in EPS before and after treatment. The data were analyzed by bioinformatics software and database, and differences with P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Beta diversity analysis showed that there was a significant difference between groups (P = 0.046). LEfSe detected four kinds of characteristic microorganisms in the EPS of patients with IIIB prostatitis before and after LIPUS treatment. After multiple comparisons among groups by DESeq2 method, six different microorganisms were found. LIPUS may improve patients' clinical symptoms by changing the flora structure of EPS, stabilizing and affecting resident bacteria or opportunistic pathogens.

Effects of Transportation on Blood Indices, Oxidative Stress, Rumen Fermentation Parameters and Rumen Microbiota in Goats.

The objective of this experiment was to delve into the impacts of transportation on goats. Sixteen healthy goats were selected as experimental animals; these goats were transported at a speed ranging from 35 to 45 km/h for 20 h. The changes in the physiological indexes, blood physiological indexes, biochemical indexes, rumen fermentation indexes, and rumen microbial structure composition of goats before and after transportation were measured. The results showed that after transportation, the contents of IgM, IgA, IgG, and Thyroxine decreased very significantly, while the contents of propionic acid, Hemoglobin and Epinephrine significantly increased, and the contents of VFA, acetic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, LPS, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, Major Acute Phase Protein, protein carbonyl, and cortisol increased very significantly. There was no significant difference in α-diversity and ß-diversity, and the relative abundance of rumen microorganisms was not significantly different at either phylum or genus levels. The experimental findings revealed that continuous transportation for a duration of 20 h can induce a severe stress response in goats, leading to compromised immune function, diminished antioxidant capacity, escalated inflammatory response, and altered rumen fermentation indices. However, the experiment did not reveal any significant impact on the structure and composition of the rumen microbiota.

Intraoperative intravenous versus periarticular injection of glucocorticoids in improving clinical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty: A prospective, randomized and controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids have been widely used in perioperative period for postoperative pain relief after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the optimal administration protocols of glucocorticoids remain controversial. This study aims to compare the efficacy of glucocorticoids between intravenous and periarticular injection on clinical outcomes. METHODS: A total of 114 patients were randomly assigned to intravenous (IV) group (n = 57) and periarticular injection (PI) group (n = 57). The IV group received 10 mg dexamethasone intravenously and the PI group received periarticular injection of 10 mg dexamethasone during the procedure. The clinical outcomes were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS), knee society score (KSS), range of motion (ROM), knee swelling, inflammation markers and complications after TKA. RESULTS: The VAS score during walking at 2nd day postoperatively was lower in the PI group compared with the IV group (2.08 ± 1.45 vs 2.73 ± 1.69, p = .039), and there was no significant difference at the other time points of VAS score in two groups. The inflammation markers, knee swelling, knee ROM and KSS score were not statistically different. Vomiting and other complications occurrence were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative periarticular injection of glucocorticoids has similar analgesic effect compared to intravenous in the postoperative period following TKA and may be even more effective on the second postoperative day. In addition, periarticular injection of glucocorticoids does not impose an excess risk or complication on patients.

Shikonin and chitosan-silver nanoparticles synergize against triple-negative breast cancer through RIPK3-triggered necroptotic immunogenic cell death.

Necroptotic immunogenic cell death (ICD) can activate the human immune system to treat the metastasis and recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, developing the necroptotic inducer and precisely delivering it to the tumor site is the key issue. Herein, we reported that the combination of shikonin (SHK) and chitosan silver nanoparticles (Chi-Ag NPs) effectively induced ICD by triggering necroptosis in 4T1 cells. Moreover, to address the lack of selectivity of drugs for in vivo application, we developed an MUC1 aptamer-targeted nanocomplex (MUC1@Chi-Ag@CPB@SHK, abbreviated as MUC1@ACS) for co-delivering SHK and Chi-Ag NPs. The accumulation of MUC1@ACS NPs at the tumor site showed a 6.02-fold increase compared to the free drug. Subsequently, upon reaching the tumor site, the acid-responsive release of SHK and Chi-Ag NPs from MUC1@ACS NPs cooperatively induced necroptosis in tumor cells by upregulating the expression of RIPK3, p-RIPK3, and tetrameric MLKL, thereby effectively triggering ICD. The sequential maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) subsequently enhanced the infiltration of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in tumors, while inhibiting regulatory T cells (Treg cells), resulting in the effective treatment of primary and distal tumor growth and the inhibition of TNBC metastasis. This work highlights the importance of nanoparticles in mediating drug interactions during necroptotic ICD.

Apatinib and gamabufotalin co-loaded lipid/Prussian blue nanoparticles for synergistic therapy to gastric cancer with metastasis.

Due to the non-targeted release and low solubility of anti-gastric cancer agent, apatinib (Apa), a first-line drug with long-term usage in a high dosage often induces multi-drug resistance and causes serious side effects. In order to avoid these drawbacks, lipid-film-coated Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) with hyaluronan (HA) modification was used for Apa loading to improve its solubility and targeting ability. Furthermore, anti-tumor compound of gamabufotalin (CS-6) was selected as a partner of Apa with reducing dosage for combinational gastric therapy. Thus, HA-Apa-Lip@PB-CS-6 NPs were constructed to synchronously transport the two drugs into tumor tissue. In vitro assay indicated that HA-Apa-Lip@PB-CS-6 NPs can synergistically inhibit proliferation and invasion/metastasis of BGC-823 cells via downregulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). In vivo assay demonstrated strongest anti-tumor growth and liver metastasis of HA-Apa-Lip@PB-CS-6 NPs administration in BGC-823 cells-bearing mice compared with other groups due to the excellent penetration in tumor tissues and outstanding synergistic effects. In summary, we have successfully developed a new nanocomplexes for synchronous Apa/CS-6 delivery and synergistic gastric cancer (GC) therapy.

Dietary ferulic acid improves growth performance of broilers via enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity and barrier function.

Objective: In this study, the effects of dietary ferulic acid (FA) on the growth traits, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier function of broilers were investigated. Methods: In total, 192 male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated to one of three dietary groups (8 replicates of 8 birds each): control (CON) group (basal diet), FA100 group (basal diet + 100 mg/kg FA), or FA200 group (basal diet + 200 mg/kg FA). The duration of the feeding trial was 42 days. Results: higher average daily gain (ADG) and lower feed to gain (F/G) ratio during day 0 to day 21 were found in the FA100 and FA200 groups, while higher ADG and lower F/G during day 21 to day 42 were only found in FA200 group, compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). Serum levels of MDA and DAO on day 21 were lower in the FA100 and FA200 groups and those on day 42 were lower in the FA200 group, while GSH-Px level in the FA100 and FA200 groups on day 21 and that in the FA200 group on day 42 were increased (p < 0.05). On day 21, jejunal GSS expression was upregulated in the FA200 group (p < 0.05), while jejunal and ileal expression of NRF2 and Occludin as well as ileal expression of GPX1 and ZO1 were increased in the FA100 and FA200 groups compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). On day 42, mRNA expression of GSS, NRF2, SOD1, and GPX1 in the jejunum and ileum as well as Claudin2 in the jejunum and Occludin in the ileum were increased in the FA200 group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Dietary FA addition could improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut integrity of broilers. The current findings provided evidences that the adoption of FA can be as nutrition intervention measure to achieve high-efficient broiler production for poultry farmers.

Ruminal degradation characteristics of bagasse with different fermentation treatments in the rumen of beef cattle.

This experiment aimed to study the degradation characteristics of bagasse after three fermentation treatments in beef cattle. Bagasse 1 was treated with 0.3% lactic acid bacteria (w/w). Bagasse 2 was treated with 0.3% mixed strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and lactic acid bacteria at 2:1:1:1). Bagasse 3 was treated with 0.1% cellulase and 0.1% xylanase in addition to 0.3% mixed strains of bagasse 2. The dry matter (DM), crude ash (ASH), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in the bagasses were determined. Compared to the control bagasse (without the strain and enzyme treatments), three fermented bagasses showed higher DM after 4 h fermentation. The CP and ASH contents in fermented bagasse 3 were the highest, while the contents of NDF and ADF in fermented bagasse 3 were the lowest among all the groups. The effective degradability of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF was highest in fermented bagasse 3 among the evaluated bagasse feed, followed by fermented bagasse 2 > fermented bagasse 1 > bagasse. Overall, fermented bagasse 3 was better than the control and other treated bagasses, thus fermented bagasse 3 is a hopeful source for ruminant diet of beef cattle.